South Lebanon

South Lebanon is a region of southern Lebanon that contains the major port cities of Sidon and Tyre and towns such as Jezzine, Rachaiya, and Tebnine. The region is mostly Shia Muslim, with a considerable Christian minority in the 100% Christian villages of Rmaich, Ain Ebel, Debel, and Qaouzah. Because of its Shi'ite majority, it has been a major base for Hezbollah and other Shi'ite groups, and for this reason the Israeli Air Force has carried out thousands of airstrikes on the region since the Lebanese Civil War. The civil war saw Israel occupy the region in alliance with the South Lebanon Army, but they withdrew in 2000, leaving the region in Lebanese hands.